Travel Through Dimensions
by romagen
Summary: Izaya and Shizuo were playing their cat-and-mouse game around Ikebukuro like usual when something happened . . . They next found themselves in another world. How will the two get back? Or would they decide to stay? Will they survive in this new world? Would they stay together or go in separate ways? Find out by reading this book.
1. Summary

Izaya and Shizuo were playing their cat-and-mouse game around Ikebukuro like usual when something happened . . . They next found themselves in another world. How will the two get back? Or would they decide to stay? Will they survive in this new world? Would they stay together or go in separate ways? Find out by reading this book.


	2. Chapter 1

**(Izaya's POV)**

It was just another ordinary day in Ikebukuro. Mikado and Anri were walking to school like any other day. Masaomi and Saki, his girlfriend, looked at the Tokyo Bay with many pretty boats moving around. Shizuo walked with Tom Tanaka, keeping a close eye on him as they made their way to random houses whose owners had debts to pay. Celty conversed with Shinra at his house about a new job that she could do. Izaya stared at his computer in his apartment, going through the chat rooms and looking for new information that would be useful to him. When he was done, Izaya looked out the window, thinking. _I should mess with Shizu-chan some more today!_ Grabbing his jacket, he left the building and walked to Ikebukuro from Shinjuku.

As Izaya passed a Russian Sushi restaurant, he saw the person he was looking for, and smirked.

"IIIIZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYAAAAAAA!"

Izaya jumped to the side quickly as a vending machine flew by, which nearly hit him in the shoulder. He expected this, of course. Shizu-chan always ended up throwing things at him, but he was fine with it.

"Hi Shizu-chan~! I was wondering when I'd run into you!" Izaya exclaimed.

"I told you to NEVER come back to IKEBUKURO AGAIN!" Shizuo yelled, pulling a nearby sign out of the concrete and preparing to throw it.

"I'm sorry, Shizu-chan, but it seems that I don't remember you telling me that."

This was one of the ways Izaya loved to piss Shizuo off.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT! IIIIIIIIZZZZZZZAAAAAAYYYYYYYAAAAAAA-KUUUUNNNNNN!"

Shizuo picked up a trashcan standing nearby and threw it at the raven. Izaya turned and ran yelling out behind him "Catch me if you can, Shizu-chan~!"

The strongest man in Ikebukuro chased after the underground informant, tossing anything and everything around himself at the raven. Quickly, Izaya made a sharp turn into an alley. Speeding up, he was about to jump over a wire fence when he was grabbed from behind. Twisting around, Izaya lost his footing and began to fall backward.

It was as if everything was going in slow motion. Seeing Shizuo, he reached out and grabbed his bartender vest. Looking behind himself, Izaya saw the hole that Shizuo had seen. Plummeting down into the hole, Izaya closed his eyes, feeling the rush of adrenaline going through his body at the feeling of wind whooshing past him. Then . . . CRACK


	3. Chapter 2

**(Hana's POV)**

_I have so much energy! My legs feel weak from lack of use. This sucks._

Shutting down the computer, I got out of my seat and stretched. I picked up my cellphone, keys, and put on a light jacket. Then I looked out my window. The sun was setting and trees swayed in the breeze. However, when I looked at the lawn, I saw two people lying in the grass.

I closed the curtains, and then opened them again. The people were still there. Stepping outside, I silently walked over to them.

One had short black hair and was wearing a familiar looking jacket. He was lying on his left side facing the other man who had blond hair. He wore a bartender's outfit. Tucked in his vest was a pair of sunglasses. He was facing the raven with one hand grasping his shirt. The other hand was lying close to the others hand. The raven's right leg covered the blond's left leg.

For some reason, the two men looked very 2D, as if they stepped out of a movie and fell to Earth. They stood out compared to me. What I'm trying to say is . . . I look real, when they don't.

Then I noticed that the black haired man was bleeding from the side of his head. The blond's left wrist looked bruised.

_This is bad this, this is very bad_ I thought.

I quickly ran inside and grabbed a first aid kit, along with a small hand towel. I left the door open in case I needed to run back inside. When I got back, the blond was groaning quietly. His eyelids fluttered open and closed. The raven still hasn't moved yet, so I checked his breathing. It was short and fast.

_Oh no, is he sick?_

Opening the kit, I began the process of cleaning the wound from the black haired man. As I worked, I took a quick glance at the blond. His brown eyes were watching my every move. I froze, slightly shaking._ I remember this person! From some anime that I watched five years ago! What's his name . . . What's his name . . . Aha! It's Shizuo! OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!_

Then I looked at the person whose wound I was cleaning. It was none other than Izaya!

"Shizuo and Izaya . . ." I whispered.

"How the hell do you know me, girl" the blond growled, completely tense.

"Oh my god." I said.

"Whatever, can you help us or NOT!"

"Okay . . . Um . . . I can help you, but I won't be able to lift Izaya on my own. Do you think you can lift him up with one arm?" I asked.

"Let me try."

Shizuo stood up painfully slow, wobbled a bit, then almost fell down.

"Okay. there's no way I'm making you carry Izaya. Let me get a blanket, I can drag him inside that way. If you're steady, you can help me, got it?"

He nodded. I walked into the house and took an old blanket that I had since I was ten. When I got back, Shizuo was sitting on the grass. I spread out the blanket on the ground and asked him to help me roll Izaya onto the blanket. And so he did. Then I started pulling on the blanket as hard as I could.

Light brown eyes watched me drag Izaya across the lawn, watching me. I got the raven almost to the front door when I collapsed from exhaustion. Shizuo shook his head and got up. He grabbed a corner of the blanket with his right hand and managed to pull Izaya into the house. When he was done, Shizuo looked at me.

"Where do you want me to bring him?" he asked.

I sighed, and entered the small townhouse that I own, closing and locking the door behind me.

"Follow me. And take him with you if you still can." I said.

Shizuo came after me as I lead him to the living room. I told him that if he could, Shizuo should lift up Izaya and lay him on the couch. He did so without a word.

"Hey Shizuo. Do you mind if you . . . well . . . if you could take Izaya's clothes off? Um . . . because he'll get even worse if he stays in them? He'll get sick and . . .um . . ." I asked in a squeaky voice.

His eyes widened and blushed. What she said was true and Izaya was already getting sick. If this girl didn't take them in, he would have ended up taking care of the raven.

"Yeah . . . um, sure."

"Thanks Shizuo!"

I am so so thankful! Oh my GOD! I would be so embarrassed if I had to do that!

I went to get another blanket. This one was newer and a bit bigger. _This one should work. Now, how could I help Shizuo? He had a bruised wrist! I couldn't just take him to the doctor, I don't have any papers for him OR Izaya!_

Then I got an idea. I took out my cellphone, typed something in and placed it next to my ear.

"Hey, Eri. It's me, Hana. I need to ask you something. How do you tell if a bruised wrist actually has broken bones involved?"


	4. Chapter 3

**(Shizuo's POV)**

_The girl left me here do do the most unimaginable job that I never would have thought of doing if I was back in Ikebukuro, undressing Izaya. This was so so so unexpected. And who is this girl anyway? How does she know us?_

My wrist doesn't hurt that much anymore. Maybe I could wrap it with something and that way it would heal.

I managed to peel off Izaya's shirt. The awkward moment starts now. How to take off Izaya's pants?

"Oh god . . ." I muttered.

Instead of debating on it, I just went along with it, not looking at his . . . thing. Then I spread out Izaya's wet clothes on the floor to dry.

When I was done, I quickly turned around and sat down on the floor, leaning my back against the base of the couch. I decided to look at my wrist. Feeling around the bruised area told me that nothing was broken. If only I could find something to wrap it with . . .

**(Hana's POV)**

While I was talking to my friend, Eri, about healing a bruised wrist, I remembered that Izaya's head was still bleeding. And I didn't finish cleaning him up . . .

"HOLY CRAP! I'LL BE RIGHT BACK ERI!"

I hung up, tossed my cell on my bed and ran to the living room as fast as I could. My green orbs looked around the room before settling on Shizuo. He was leaning against the foot of the couch, clutching his left wrist. He looked as if he was in pain. But his wrist looked perfectly fine!

"How is that possible?" I whispered.

Shizuo opened his eyes and looked at me. I could see the pain swirling in them. This incident was so shocking that I was frozen, staring into those pain-filled eyes.

Then I looked past his gaze and saw Izaya's rust-colored eyes staring at me. MY eyes rolled to the back of my head.

**(Izaya's POV)**

What the hell?

Loud, running footsteps woke me up so fast that my eyes snapped open. I stared at a white ceiling, feeling my head pounding. Great, a headache. I was lying on something leathery and smooth. Looking to my left sat Shizuo. He was looking at something to his left. I looked in that direction to see a pale-faced girl staring at him. She had long brown hair that went down to her waist, and beautiful green eyes. And she was holding a red blanket with white stripes on it. She shifted her gaze to me, stared at me for about three seconds, and suddenly collapsed.

Shizuo suddenly stood up. He walked to the girl and picked up the blanket she was holding. Then he spread the blanket on top of me. I felt the blanket cover me and noticed that I wasn't wearing any clothes!

"Did you take my clothes off, Shizu-chan?" I joked, my voice noticeably and surprisingly weak.

If looks could kill I would be just a pool of blood on a carpet by now. He glared at me and went back to the girl, picking her up and throwing her over his right shoulder. Then he turned and looked at me with a frustrated look on his face.

"Just stay on the couch, flea. You wouldn't want your blood all over her house. She took us in. You should be thankful," Shizu-chan grumbled.

Then he walked off with her.

The pain in my head increased. I lifted my hand to my head and felt around. On the right side of my head was dried blood. There was still some blood trickling down my forehead. My eyelids shut on their own and I fell asleep.

**(Shizuo's POV)**

_Damn it damn it damn it damn it why did I have to be sucked into this mess? How does this girl know me or the flea? I've never seen her in Ikebukuro before . . ._

I walked to the first door I could see, which was right down the hall, and opened it. It was the bathroom! I was so surprised that I immediately shut the door and opened another door on the left. Inside, the walls were painted a soft yellow. In the far corner of the room stood a bed, and at the foot of the bed, there was a big desk and a chair.

When I walked over to the bed, I lifted a corner of the covers with my left hand, and lied the girl down as gently as I could. Then I covered her, and went out of her room.

After checking on Izaya, and finding him knocked out on the couch, I decided to look for a place to sleep. In the end, I walked around the mysterious girl's household, mentally memorizing the layout. Looking at the layout of the house from a bird's eye view in my head, I quickly found the guest bedroom. I opened the window and took a fresh breath of air. Taking out the last cigarette I had and a lighter from my back pocket, I quickly placed it in my mouth and lit the end, all with my right hand. My left wrist still throbbed painfully. Breathing in the smoke helped dull my senses, including the pain from my arm.

I sat there, on the bed, for awhile. I wasn't really thinking, but wasn't really staring into space, either. The window was open, the curtains drawn back to the sides. Stars shined faintly in the sky. Taking the cigarette from my mouth, I made sure that it went out before throwing it out the window. After closing the window, I lied down on the bed, on top of the covers, and fell asleep, staring at the stars.


	5. Chapter 4

**(Izaya's POV)**

I was the first person to wake up apparently. My head ached only a little, so that meant that my wound was healing. I got up off the couch, picked up my clothes from the floor, checked my pockets for the flick blade that I carried, and put them on. Then I started exploring my new surroundings.

In the guest bedroom, I saw Shizuo sleeping peacefully on the bed. Down the hall on the left, I found the girl I saw yesterday lying under the covers. I walked to another door and found that it was locked. When I tried opening the door again, it wouldn't open. And when I looked closer at the door knob, I found a tiny keyhole.

_Huh. I wonder what the girl keeps in there . . ._

I went back to the guest bedroom where Shizu-chan slept. He was sleeping on the left side of the bed, facing the wall. I knew that the girl wouldn't have been able to lift and carry myself to the couch that I slept on last night, so I guessed that Shizu-chan did that. To thank Shizuo for taking care of me, I lied down on the right side of the bed and wrapped my thin arms around Shizuo's waist, hugging him from behind.

The bottle blond turned around in the bed and wrapped his OWN arms around me. This gesture scared me a little, but I knew if I flinched, Shizuo would strike. So I hugged Shizuo tighter and buried my head into the beast's chest.

"Thank you Shizu-chan," I whispered.

Shizuo suddenly tightened his grip on me, which began to crush me. By glancing at his face from time to time, I could tell that Shizuo was confused. My guess that he was thinking along the lines of: _Why thank me? I didn't do anything, did I? Or maybe he's playing a game. He's making a dangerous move right now . . ._

The blond's grip on me grew stronger, hurting me in the process. But I knew that as soon as I moved an inch, Shizuo would strike. Even though this danger hung in the air, I pulled out my knife from my jacket pocket and opened it, pressing the blade slightly against Shizuo's skin.

"If you continue, I will cut you," I whispered.

Shizuo quickly released his grip on me and threw a quick jab at me. I jumped out of bed and dodged the punch.

"You'll have to do better at that, Shizu-chan!" I taunted.

As I dodged the furniture being thrown at me, I noticed that my breathing was faster than normal and my muscles began to ache quicker than usual. But I placed the thought into the back of my mind to continue this game that I played with the blond.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

While Shizuo and Izaya wrecked the guest bedroom, making dents in walls and throwing things at each other, Hana was having a dream. It was like watching a movie. She saw the two live anime characters fighting and chasing each other around in a busy city. There were also three other people she kept noticing. Two boys and a girl. She couldn't make out the details, but it seemed that their friends were in a huge fight in an abandoned warehouse, and the three friends couldn't do anything to stop them from fighting. It was a really sad sight. Izaya was watching the whole fight from a hiding spot on the roof with an eager look in his eyes. He looked so happy and excited as he observed the people below. Hana got so mad at him. There was a fight going on down there and he was ENJOYING it!

**(Hana's POV)**

While I was in my dream, I kept hearing a loud racket which wasn't part of the dream I was having. The noise grew louder, sucking me out of my dream and waking me up slightly. Getting annoyed, I yelled at whoever was making the sound to stop, then got comfortable and went back to sleep.

. . . . . .

I heard words being thrown back and forth between . . . two people? Groaning, I rolled onto my back and opened one eye. Right above my head, staring down at me was Izaya. His nose was about one inch away from mine, and he was smirking.

"Get out of my face. Leave me alone and talk to me when I'm awake," I grumbled.

Then I closed my eyes and turned my back to him.

"Awwwwwww! You wouldn't talk to a guest like that would you, Hana-chan," Izaya announced.

I quickly turned around in my bed to face him.

"How do you know my name you idiot?!"

"Oh, but I can't tell you that Hana-chan! I would be telling you my secrets, and I can't be having that. Right, Shizu-chan?" Izaya declared.

"Don't call me that, flea." A gruff voice muttered.

I didn't notice that Shizuo was in the room. He was leaning against the sliding door of my closet. His arms were crossed over his chest, giving me the impression that he was relaxed, even though his muscles were slightly tensed. Shizuo was glaring at Izaya.

Then I remembered my dream._ The way Izaya just watched those people fight made me so ANGRY!_

The expression on my face changed into an evil smirk. The raven gave me a quizzical look, then smiled one of his sadistic smiles at me. I climbed out of my bed and took a step towards him. Izaya went back a step. I smirked and stepped closer to him. He walked backwards and hit the sliding door behind him, finding himself trapped between a potentially dangerous monster, an girl whose strengths and weaknesses were unidentified, and a wall.

Without warning, Izaya's head hit the door behind him, quickly covering his left eye with his hand.

"Whoa, you carry a pretty hard punch!" Izaya yelled.

"That's what comes with training." I smirked.

I threw another punch at him, but he dodged it easily.

"There's no way I'm going to let you hit ME again," Izaya declared in an arrogant way.

"Maybe I will be able to catch you off guard again," I said, smirking.

"No you won't, Hana-chan! You'll get mad at Shizu-chan for wrecking your room instead!" he exclaimed.

"He did WHAT?!" I yelled in shock and surprise.

I quickly glanced in Shizuo's direction. His muscles were more tense than before and his eyes were downcast.

"What did you do now," I asked a bit apprehensive of the answer I might hear.

"Nothing . . ." Shizuo uttered, staring at the ground.

I slipped past him, through the hallway, and stopped in the doorway of the guest bedroom with my jaw dropped. The room was a catastrophe! Almost ALL the furniture was smashed to bits, there were dents in the walls, and the window glass was cracked.

"All the repairs for this room will cost so much. And it will come out of my bank account," I whispered. "That means that there would be about five thousand dollars left . . ."

"And of course this would happen. What would expect of us, Hana-chan?" Izaya said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "There is no way that Shizu-chan and I could stay in the same area without fighting, you should know that!"

I whipped around, trying to backhand Izaya. As usual, he dodged it while pulling out his knife. When I tried punching him, he moved out of the way and let his knife fly. I heard the thunk of the knife hitting the wall behind me, but also felt a stinging sensation in my left ear. Bringing up my hand to it, I felt something wet trickling down. That was when I exploded.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?! I LET YOU GUYS INTO MY HOUSE AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?! The repairs will cost me THOUSANDS! And I will still need to feed myself, AND you two, including paying for college courses!"

Way beyond angry, I advanced towards Izaya, fuming. I continued yelling and screaming at him throwing insults at him. Someone grabbed me from behind and held me there as I struggled. Then I stopped, thinking that I could trick the man into letting me go. The person's grip on my arms loosened, so I slipped out and started attacking Izaya, seeing red. He only smirked at me, panting, as I was grabbed from behind again.

"If you promise to not go crazy attacking people, then I'll let go," Shizuo said.

"HOW CAN YOU STAND BEING AROUND HIM?! I THOUGHT YOU HATED HIM!" I screamed at him, craning my neck to look Shizuo in the eye.

"I don't know, Hana. I just don't know . . ." he muttered.

Shizuo continued holding me in place as I struggled. Izaya smirked at me, catching his breath. Slowly my anger subsided as I lost my strength. When I was completely relaxed, slumping against the blond, I told Shizuo to let me go.

"Are you going to go crazy again?" he questioned.

"No, I won't. I promise."

"Okay then . . ."

And he let me go. I sighed and rubbed my head. It was beginning to hurt. Quickly throwing a glare at the both of them, I walked to the kitchen and started cooking some Ramen.


	6. Chapter 5

(Hana's POV)

After having breakfast, I took a quick shower. The boys couldn't take one because they didn't have any fresh clothes to wear. Besides, they stood out so much that they couldn't go outside and shop for something to put on. So, I decided to go out while the blond and raven stayed inside. But I made them shake hands to work on not annoying each other to the point where my house would be destroyed.

I threw on a pair of jeans and my favorite sailing t-shirt, and a black starry jacket, with a pair of black converse. When I finished changing, I said my 'see ya' and gave them a warning or two.

"Don't go outside, people could see you. And don't bust into the locked room. Oh, Izaya? There's a computer in the living room that you can use if you want."

"Thank you Hana-chan. But why can't we go into the locked room? That makes me want to find out what you're hiding," Izaya mused.

"Shizuo. Could you please make sure the 'flea' doesn't go into the locked room for me?" I asked.

"Sure thing, Hana," the blond agreed.

"Thanks, Shizuo."

And with that, I left. I climbed into the drivers seat of my blue Honda Accord, and started the engine. To tell you the truth, I have no idea what clothes to buy for them. Maybe I should just buy what they wore earlier, except more real looking. Bartender outfits and black v-neck shirts and black trousers and belts . . . Then I drove off towards Hillsdale Shopping Center.

(Izaya's POV)

As soon as Hana-chan left, Shizuo immediately looked at me. I, however, ran straight into Hana's room, with Shizuo coming after me.

"Don't you want to know more about Hana, Shizu-chan?" I asked.

"She'll tell us when she tells us, and don't CALL me that!" he said.

"But don't you want to know now?" I pestered.

"I SAID SHE'LL TELL US WHE-"

"Don't wreck Hana's house anymore than you already did, Shizu-chan," I advised.

"Whatever. I'm going to watch TV. Don't mess up her life or mine and I won't kill you." Shizuo muttered.

Then he left the room. I stayed and looked for the diary that I found earlier. It was so small that I could fit it in my pants pocket. Hana-chan wrote in the diary, and after skimming the first five entries before waking Hana up, I came to a conclusion. The girl's life must have been really dull that year.

When I found it, I placed it in my fur jacket pocket. Then I looked through Hana's books that were standing on a shelf above the desk. There were lots of books, all stacked haphazardly; a mix of children's books, teens books, and adult books.

After exploring that shelf I found a kids book with a worn cover. The name of the book almost rubbed off, but I managed to see some of it. The name looked like this:

LEG D , YT , &amp; F I TA S

EN'S V S O

Whatever the language was, I didn't know it. And some of the squiggles I just couldn't make out, so I decided to show Shizuo what I found.

"Hey Shizu-chan!" I yelled out.

No answer returned, so I tried again. He still didn't answer.

Oh well, I guess I should read it myself.

Thankfully, the book had many pictures in it, or else I wouldn't have understood what the book was about. The main thing that I understood about the story was that a man fell through a portal that looked like a hole and survived living in a completely different place for some time. Basically, his story was a lot like ours. So I decided to show Shizuo the story and how similar it was to our situation.

I found Shizuo sitting on the couch watching TV. As usual, neither I nor he could understand what was being explained. Then I interrupted him.

"Look Shizu-chan! Look at what I found!"

Shizuo looked up at me, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Leave me alone FLEA!" he yelled.

"But I can't, Shizu-chan! You see, I found a book in Hana's room that tells a story very similar to ours!" I exclaimed.

"You're crazy. Now go away and LEAVE ME ALONE!" Shizuo screamed.

"See Shizu-chan, you never listen to reason. That's why I am the only one that's trying to figure out how to get back to Ikebukuro right now."

Shizuo became interested and slightly pissed at what I had to say right now. I tossed the book on the couch.

"And it seems that I found a story that could help us get back."

"How can it help us?" he asked.

"Read and find out," I advised.

As I walked off, Shizuo muttered something that I really didn't expect.

"Let's form an alliance."

I stopped walking and turned around. And this is why I love humans!

"Mm?"

"Don't make me REPEAT myself FLEA!"

"We'll work together, but under my rules."

"What rules?" he asked.

"It's pretty simple, actually. Any information we find must be shared between us."

I couldn't think of anything else. And I wouldn't share all of my information to him. Shizuo would always be cautious around me, but soon he will have to start believing my every word. He'll play right into my hands!

"Everything?" he questioned.

"Yes. Oh, don't destroy Hana's house either."

"If you're not telling me something, I WILL find out. And I won't mess up Hana's house anymore than it already is," he added.

"I know."

"Okay. But you should know that I still want to kill you, and I always will," Shizuo commented.

"Sure! And it's not like I want to do the same to you . . ."

"IZAYA-KUN!" he hollered.

"Okay okay. I got it. No pissing each other off. Fine."

Not. HAHAHAHAHA!


	7. Chapter 6

(Shizuo's POV)

I decided to make this alliance because we would never get back to Ikebukuro without helping each other. At least, Izaya would make it, but I won't. As long as this alliance stays intact, Izaya and I would be helping each other. This is probably the first time that this ever happened between us. There would most likely be tension underneath it all, but at least we're working together.

After making the alliance, Izaya left me with the T.V. and went to surf on the computer, while I "read" the book. I couldn't exactly understand what was written but the pictures told me that a man fell through a hole, kind of like what happened to us, and lived in another world.

This was sooooo like our own problem! Izaya was right! But he's right at everything. Almost always right.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I greeted Hana when she came back from shopping. She was carrying many bags, so I quickly grabbed a few and helped her inside. Izaya came from the kitchen to say hi. Then both of us grabbed the book Izaya found earlier, showed it to Hana, and asked her if she could read it to us.

"Why do I need to read it to you? And where did you find it? I was looking for it for ages," Hana explained.

"I found it while looking through the books above your desk," Izaya said. "It's very similar to how we got here."

"You mean that you fell through the portal and came here?! Why didn't you tell me earlier?! So that's why you two look so out of place! You're not from here! Oh, I wish I found about this earlier . . ." she complained.

"Okay. I'll read it to you. But first, lets eat!"

Hana pulled three packages out of a random bag and carried them to the kitchen, with Izaya and I following behind. When we sat down on the table, Hana took out plates and chopsticks, then opened the boxes. Inside were dumplings, sushi, fried rice, different types of chicken, and more! Everything looked so delicious! So we immediately began to eat.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After eating, Hana read the book in Japanese instead of it's original language, English. Izaya was right about the plot, the man did fall through a hole-like portal. It just didn't say how he went through the portal, or how to find it. The book gave us the simple story about the man living in a different place for almost the rest of his life.

At the end . . . the end . . . there was no end. Some pages in the back were missing. Hana said that this was probably because she read it so much when she was younger. Then Izaya asked if there was another place where he could find more books about it. She said that there was a library in the city that she could visit.

Suddenly, Hana sprang from her seat and ran from the room. Izaya and I followed her into her bedroom. Inside, Hana quickly logged onto her computer and clicked around on her computer screen. She opened a web page and typed something in. After searching around and typing some more, Hana finally stopped and moved back a bit. On the website there was a short list, consisting of three long lines of figures with pictures.

"What is it?" I asked.

"They're all the same story, just different versions. The top one is the kids version, the book that I have. The second book is the teen version and the last one is the adult version. That last one has probably the most accurate information if you want to get your hands on the real story," Hana said. "I could get those books for you, in Japanese if I can."

"Thank you, Hana-chan," Izaya said.

After fiddling around on the computer some more, Hana closed the site and turned off her computer.

"I placed a hold on them. They should arrive in a few days, maybe a week."

"Great! Now all we need to do is sit around here, doing nothing! I can't STAND IT!" I exploded.

My hand itched for a cigarette. Smoking was almost like my way of relieving stress. I just need one. I need to smoke. I need it, and I need it now!

"Hana," I growled. "I need you to go buy some cigarettes right now. I'm literally about to smash your place to bits. I won't be able to hold back for long . . ."

"I'm on it," Hana said.

She left the house. The flea and I were the only ones left, and I really wanted to throw a good punch at him. Oh, it would feel AMAZING to just be able to HIT the flea for once! Maybe then I could wipe him off the face of the EARTH! THE FEELING WOULD JUST BE AMAZING! SO EXHILARATING!

Izaya must seen the insane look in my eyes, because he began cautiously moving away from me, pulling out his flick knife out from his jacket pocket. I slowly stood up, my back facing him.

"Izaya-kun."

"What do you want, Shizu-chan? Hana-chan is buying cigarettes for you! You should be happy! You haven't had one for a while, you don't want to destroy the girl's house, do you?" he asked in a wary tone.

"I really want to kill you right now."

"I know that, but you really need to stay calm and wait for Hana-"

"THERE IS NO WAY I'LL EVER LISTEN TO YOU! IIIIIIZZZAAAAAYYYYYAAAAAAA-KUUUUNNN!"

Blinded by rage I lifted up a chair and threw it at the flea. He dodged it pretty quick and it hit the wall behind him, breaking in the process.

"Shizu-chan! Calm down!"

Many other flying objects headed straight for the flea, but he dodged the attacks as if his life depended on it and used his knife when needed. For some reason, I noticed that Izaya's breathing pattern increased really quickly and was panting really hard. His crimson eyes held confusion, but also a bit of fear underneath. It was as if he was actually afraid of me for once.

"SHIZUO! PLEASE STOP!"

At that moment, everything just seemed to freeze. It was as if time stood still. I stood where I was, panting, trying to comprehend the situation. The flea said my name. And he said please. What the hell? I couldn't understand why Izaya had said my name. Especially now. I was totally dumbstruck.

I could see Izaya's body sagging against the wall, trying to catch his breath, probably realizing what he had just said. He looked really confused and shocked beyond belief.

The silence continued, until I finally formed a sentence in my mind.

"You just said my name."

"Yeah . . ." Izaya was lost in thought, with a confused and lost expression on his face.

"And you actually asked me something. You never did that before. Why?"

"I don't know. I really have no idea . . ." Izaya's eyes focused and as he took a look at the blond.

"I need to be alone right now," he said quietly.

"Me too. I'll just, go, I guess," I gave a nervous laugh as he walked out.

That was so surprising, what happened just now I thought as I walked to the ruined guest bedroom. I wonder what Izaya's going to do now. I sat down on the mattress, placing my elbows on my knees and lacing my fingers together, feeling the need to smoke resurface. I really need those cigarettes right now . . .


	8. Chapter 7

(Izaya's POV)

After Shizuo left, I slid down the wall to the carpeted floor and bought my knees to my chest. I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my chin on my knees. Then I brought out my knife and opened it, holding it in my right hand and placing the sharp tip against my left index finger.

I was totally confused. I randomly said Shizuo's name out loud just five seconds ago! Why did I do that? Didn't I always call him Shizu-chan? Why did I decide to use his real name today? And for once I was actually afraid of him! Since when? How am I supposed to respond to Shizuo in this situation? Should I keep talking to Shizuo in the same ways I always did before?

The same thoughts kept floating around in my head, going back and fourth. My hand slipped and I gave myself a minor cut on my finger. I held it up and in the light that shone from the window next to me. The blood slowly trickled down my finger, then my wrist, my crimson eyes trained on the droplets.

I could vaguely hear the front door opening, or of it slamming shut. It was as if I wasn't really here. Someone came into the room. The person knelt in front of me, took hold of my bleeding hand and waved a hand in my face, but I couldn't snap out of my daze. Said person yelled out to someone, but it was muffled in my ears.

Another figure came in the room and the two people held some sort of conversation. Then I was lifted up by one. I could barely feel the arms that carried me. My eyes rolled around, I couldn't focus or train my gaze on anything. My senses were failing me. Why? Why were they failing me? Then a great darkness enveloped my vision, and I could see no longer.

(Hana's POV)

When I got home from buying a pack of cigarettes for Shizuo, no one came up to me. It was as if the house was as empty as it used to be, back before I found the two on my front lawn. I looked around for Shizuo, finally seeing him sitting on the bed in the ransacked guest bedroom.

"Here are the cigarettes you asked for, Shizuo," I said, tossing the small package at him.

The box almost hit him in the side of the head, but he caught the box in time for that not to happen. He said his thanks, and I warned him to smoke only in the backyard. That way the house wouldn't smell like smoke. Then I began looking for Izaya.

I found him in my bedroom, which also had the look as if someone had thrown almost all the furniture at one wall of the room. Anger filled my body at the thought of the person who could have caused this. But when I looked at the supposed culprit, my anger quickly vanished.

Izaya was sitting on the floor with his knees pressed tightly to his chest. He was holding a slightly bloody knife in one hand and the other held up into the light. Blood trickled slowly from a small cut on his index finger. I knelt down in front of him and took hold of his hand to stop the blood from seeping from his finger.

For some reason, even though Izaya was looking at me, his eyes weren't focused, more like blank. His face was void of expression. I tried waving a hand in his face to try to get Izaya to snap out of his daze, but I didn't get any reaction from him. Then I began to worry.

I called for Shizuo, and he came over after a few moments. When I asked him what the hell happened while I was gone, Shizuo gave me a simple answer. He took his anger out on the "flea" and Izaya said something that shocked them both. Then he left. I don't think I could ever understand their relationship, but at least I could tell that it was definitely about to change.

"Pick him up for me, will you? I'm going to try to snap him out of it."

Shizuo nodded and gathered Izaya in his arms. Izaya didn't make a move to stop him. I instructed Shizuo to follow me down the hall towards the locked room, keeping an eye on Izaya. His eyes rolled around in his head, then closed. Shizuo stopped walking and stared down at the raven with a slight look of shock and worry on his face. I bet he was thinking that he never saw the "flea" acting so vulnerable or weak before, based on how the two behaved earlier.

"He should be fine, he probably fainted or blacked out or something," I said. "I could ask my friend to check up on him if you want. You seem so concerned."

Shizuo's face darkened.

"I am not worried about HIM! I just want both of us to come back ALIVE, YOU LITTLE-"

"No swearing or name-calling in my house, Shizu-chan!" I ordered, using Izaya's nickname for the blond.

"I HAVE A NAME YOU-"

"I know what your name is," I groaned. "I thought the nickname was cute, so I wanted to start using it. Do I need some sort of permission in order to do that?"

"Yes you do," the blond growled.

"Fine. I'll use your real name," I sighed, pulling a slightly rusty gold key from my jeans front pocket.

I pushed the key into the lock and unlocked the door. Shizuo and I walked into the room.

(Shizuo's POV)

I followed Hana into the room. Inside was a bedroom, or maybe a master bedroom. A large window took up almost the entire back wall, which showed a lot of small plants in the garden. I could see that the sky was turning from yellow to red to dark blue. What was different about this room was that many books and pictures littered the whole space. Some stacks of books almost reached the ceiling, and paintings hung on the walls and were spread on the bed.

"Sorry that the room's messy," Hana said, cracking a small smile.

This was what she was hiding? All this time?! I thought that something else was hidden there! But if the paintings were hers . . . then she's pretty good at it . . . I guess.

"Give me a sec to clean the bed. Then you can lay him on it, Ok?" Hana asked.

I nodded. As I watched, Hana piled up the paintings into one stack and put them onto another stack next to the window. When there was enough space on the bed, I came forward and laid Izaya on it.

Hana told me to watch him while she grabbed some supplies, so I sat down on a corner of the bed. Izaya really didn't look so healthy. He was pale and sweat was collecting on his forehead. I placed a hand against his head, and it felt like he had a fever.

When Hana got back, she brought with her blankets and a small towel. She spread the blankets on Izaya, one by one. Then Hana soaked the small towel in the sink and came back, placing the hot towel on his forehead.

"I'm not sure if this would work," she told me. "Usually I ask one of my friends for help. Maybe I should call him . . ."

She jumped off the bed and ran from the room. I stayed behind, BUT ONLY if Izaya woke up. The flea didn't move at all. He only lied there, almost as pale as white paper. Then I discovered that I didn't want to kill the flea, even though I had power over him. Instead, I felt worried and upset.

Now we're all alone. Usually, I would have the urge to crush the flea right now, but I don't have that feeling right now. Why don't I want to kill him? Maybe it's because he is in an unconscious state and I want him to be awake when I wipe him off the face of the earth! But these other feelings . . . Why am I worried about him? Why do I want him to get better? Why am I upset about the flea being sick? And most of all, why do I care?

Now I was really confused.

Maybe I should test out my feelings . . .

I stood up and got closer to the sick raven. After pulling up the covers, I lied down next to him and covered myself at the same time making sure that Izaya was covered as well. Then I turned onto my side, facing him. I wrapped my strong arms around his chest and snuggled up to him, with my legs tangling with his.

I felt a fluttering in my chest and a burning feeling in my stomach. I have no idea what this emotion was, but I know I wasn't supposed to have it. Especially towards my nemesis.

Even though I knew I should start distancing myself from Izaya, I ended up staying with him for the entire night. And anyone could tell that I was happy to watch over this amazing man.

(Hana's POV)

I ran from the room to get the closest phone I could find. Grabbing my cell from my bed, I quickly dialed Eri's number and pressed the call button. Then I waited for Eri to pick up.

"Eri Ishizaki here."

"Hey Eri, it's me, Hana."

"Listen, a friend of mine got sick and I don't know how to take care of him. He has a temperature and he's sweating and he's pale and I don't know what to do and-"

"Calm down, Hana! I can't help you if you're panicking. First of all, who is he?"

"I can't tell you. just help me here, Eri! I don't know what to do and he's unconscious and-"

"Again Hana! I won't be able to help you if you don't keep calm. The first thing you should do is keep him warm."

"I covered him with blankets already but-"

"Hana. Listen to me. The next thing you can to is wait until he wakes up. If I could come over and take a look at him, then I could maybe give him a prescription or some medicine. But only if you let me see this man."

I contemplated the situation before making my final decision.

"Ok. I'll let you see him. But come over tomorrow. It's already late. And promise not to ask questions just because he looks out of place. I'll call you when he's awake."

"Fine. I'll see you tomorrow, Hana."

"See you."

Then I hung up. I decided to take a look at Izaya and see if he's awake yet. And what I saw really did surprise me. Shizuo laid next to Izaya, arms and legs wrapped around the raven under the blanket. I couldn't help but think, they would be so cute together!

I looked out the window, and when I saw the night sky, l left the room and went to sleep in my bed.


	9. Chapter 8

(Izaya's POV)

After Shizuo left, I slid down the wall to the carpeted floor and bought my knees to my chest. I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my chin on my knees. Then I brought out my knife and opened it, holding it in my right hand and placing the sharp tip against my left index finger.

I was totally confused. I randomly said Shizuo's name out loud just five seconds ago! Why did I do that? Didn't I always call him Shizu-chan? Why did I decide to use his real name today? And for once I was actually afraid of him! Since when? How am I supposed to respond to Shizuo in this situation? Should I keep talking to Shizuo in the same ways I always did before?

The same thoughts kept floating around in my head, going back and fourth. My hand slipped and I gave myself a minor cut on my finger. I held it up and in the light that shone from the window next to me. The blood slowly trickled down my finger, then my wrist, my crimson eyes trained on the droplets.

I could vaguely hear the front door opening, or of it slamming shut. It was as if I wasn't really here. Someone came into the room. The person knelt in front of me, took hold of my bleeding hand and waved a hand in my face, but I couldn't snap out of my daze. Said person yelled out to someone, but it was muffled in my ears.

Another figure came in the room and the two people held some sort of conversation. Then I was lifted up by one. I could barely feel the arms that carried me. My eyes rolled around, I couldn't focus or train my gaze on anything. My senses were failing me. Why? Why were they failing me? Then a great darkness enveloped my vision, and I could see no longer.

(Hana's POV)

When I got home from buying a pack of cigarettes for Shizuo, no one came up to me. It was as if the house was as empty as it used to be, back before I found the two on my front lawn. I looked around for Shizuo, finally seeing him sitting on the bed in the ransacked guest bedroom.

"Here are the cigarettes you asked for, Shizuo," I said, tossing the small package at him.

The box almost hit him in the side of the head, but he caught the box in time for that not to happen. He said his thanks, and I warned him to smoke only in the backyard. That way the house wouldn't smell like smoke. Then I began looking for Izaya.

I found him in my bedroom, which also had the look as if someone had thrown almost all the furniture at one wall of the room. Anger filled my body at the thought of the person who could have caused this. But when I looked at the supposed culprit, my anger quickly vanished.

Izaya was sitting on the floor with his knees pressed tightly to his chest. He was holding a slightly bloody knife in one hand and the other held up into the light. Blood trickled slowly from a small cut on his index finger. I knelt down in front of him and took hold of his hand to stop the blood from seeping from his finger.

For some reason, even though Izaya was looking at me, his eyes weren't focused, more like blank. His face was void of expression. I tried waving a hand in his face to try to get Izaya to snap out of his daze, but I didn't get any reaction from him. Then I began to worry.

I called for Shizuo, and he came over after a few moments. When I asked him what the hell happened while I was gone, Shizuo gave me a simple answer. He took his anger out on the "flea" and Izaya said something that shocked them both. Then he left. I don't think I could ever understand their relationship, but at least I could tell that it was definitely about to change.

"Pick him up for me, will you? I'm going to try to snap him out of it."

Shizuo nodded and gathered Izaya in his arms. Izaya didn't make a move to stop him. I instructed Shizuo to follow me down the hall towards the locked room, keeping an eye on Izaya. His eyes rolled around in his head, then closed. Shizuo stopped walking and stared down at the raven with a slight look of shock and worry on his face. I bet he was thinking that he never saw the "flea" acting so vulnerable or weak before, based on how the two behaved earlier.

"He should be fine, he probably fainted or blacked out or something," I said. "I could ask my friend to check up on him if you want. You seem so concerned."

Shizuo's face darkened.

"I am not worried about HIM! I just want both of us to come back ALIVE, YOU LITTLE-"

"No swearing or name-calling in my house, Shizu-chan!" I ordered, using Izaya's nickname for the blond.

"I HAVE A NAME YOU-"

"I know what your name is," I groaned. "I thought the nickname was cute, so I wanted to start using it. Do I need some sort of permission in order to do that?"

"Yes you do," the blond growled.

"Fine. I'll use your real name," I sighed, pulling a slightly rusty gold key from my jeans front pocket.

I pushed the key into the lock and unlocked the door. Shizuo and I walked into the room.

(Shizuo's POV)

I followed Hana into the room. Inside was a bedroom, or maybe a master bedroom. A large window took up almost the entire back wall, which showed a lot of small plants in the garden. I could see that the sky was turning from yellow to red to dark blue. What was different about this room was that many books and pictures littered the whole space. Some stacks of books almost reached the ceiling, and paintings hung on the walls and were spread on the bed.

"Sorry that the room's messy," Hana said, cracking a small smile.

This was what she was hiding? All this time?! I thought that something else was hidden there! But if the paintings were hers . . . then she's pretty good at it . . . I guess.

"Give me a sec to clean the bed. Then you can lay him on it, Ok?" Hana asked.

I nodded. As I watched, Hana piled up the paintings into one stack and put them onto another stack next to the window. When there was enough space on the bed, I came forward and laid Izaya on it.

Hana told me to watch him while she grabbed some supplies, so I sat down on a corner of the bed. Izaya really didn't look so healthy. He was pale and sweat was collecting on his forehead. I placed a hand against his head, and it felt like he had a fever.

When Hana got back, she brought with her blankets and a small towel. She spread the blankets on Izaya, one by one. Then Hana soaked the small towel in the sink and came back, placing the hot towel on his forehead.

"I'm not sure if this would work," she told me. "Usually I ask one of my friends for help. Maybe I should call him . . ."

She jumped off the bed and ran from the room. I stayed behind, BUT ONLY if Izaya woke up. The flea didn't move at all. He only lied there, almost as pale as white paper. Then I discovered that I didn't want to kill the flea, even though I had power over him. Instead, I felt worried and upset.

Now we're all alone. Usually, I would have the urge to crush the flea right now, but I don't have that feeling right now. Why don't I want to kill him? Maybe it's because he is in an unconscious state and I want him to be awake when I wipe him off the face of the earth! But these other feelings . . . Why am I worried about him? Why do I want him to get better? Why am I upset about the flea being sick? And most of all, why do I care?

Now I was really confused.

Maybe I should test out my feelings . . .

I stood up and got closer to the sick raven. After pulling up the covers, I lied down next to him and covered myself at the same time making sure that Izaya was covered as well. Then I turned onto my side, facing him. I wrapped my strong arms around his chest and snuggled up to him, with my legs tangling with his.

I felt a fluttering in my chest and a burning feeling in my stomach. I have no idea what this emotion was, but I know I wasn't supposed to have it. Especially towards my nemesis.

Even though I knew I should start distancing myself from Izaya, I ended up staying with him for the entire night. And anyone could tell that I was happy to watch over this amazing man.

(Hana's POV)

I ran from the room to get the closest phone I could find. Grabbing my cell from my bed, I quickly dialed Eri's number and pressed the call button. Then I waited for Eri to pick up.

"Eri Ishizaki here."

"Hey Eri, it's me, Hana."

"Listen, a friend of mine got sick and I don't know how to take care of him. He has a temperature and he's sweating and he's pale and I don't know what to do and-"

"Calm down, Hana! I can't help you if you're panicking. First of all, who is he?"

"I can't tell you. just help me here, Eri! I don't know what to do and he's unconscious and-"

"Again Hana! I won't be able to help you if you don't keep calm. The first thing you should do is keep him warm."

"I covered him with blankets already but-"

"Hana. Listen to me. The next thing you can to is wait until he wakes up. If I could come over and take a look at him, then I could maybe give him a prescription or some medicine. But only if you let me see this man."

I contemplated the situation before making my final decision.

"Ok. I'll let you see him. But come over tomorrow. It's already late. And promise not to ask questions just because he looks out of place. I'll call you when he's awake."

"Fine. I'll see you tomorrow, Hana."

"See you."

Then I hung up. I decided to take a look at Izaya and see if he's awake yet. And what I saw really did surprise me. Shizuo laid next to Izaya, arms and legs wrapped around the raven under the blanket. I couldn't help but think, they would be so cute together!

I looked out the window, and when I saw the night sky, l left the room and went to sleep in my bed.


	10. Chapter 9

(Shizuo's POV)

Hana just rushed out of the house for her so called work. I guess this would happen more often . . . I mean she does need to earn money for the essentials, now including feeding Izaya and I. This must be very hard for her, one person earning for three of us.

I stood there awkwardly with my hands in my pockets, watching Izaya and Eri. Izaya kept himself hidden under the covers so that you could only see the top of his head. Eri kept looking back and forth between me and Izaya.

"Okay then, how about we start the check ups. That way I won't have to bug you about it later," Eri suggested.

"Sure," I said.

"Then I'll start with Izaya."

Said person sat up in the bed. He rubbed his eyes, making me notice that the skin around them were slightly red. Is he okay? Was he crying? If he was, was it because of me?

Eri took a seat on the edge and I sat on the corner of the mattress. I watched Hana's friend pull a thermometer from his bag and stick it in Izaya's mouth. After waiting a minute, he pulled the thermometer out and took a look at it.

"Good. You only have a slight temperature. Now, did anything happen yesterday that you thought was weird?" Eri questioned.

Izaya opened his mouth to answer, but I beat him to it, my brown eyes staring into his crimson ones.

"He wouldn't respond to Hana or I. When I picked him up, he didn't even react."

Eri looked towards, and at being given the chance, Izaya gave me a slight nod to thank me. Huh, I sure didn't expect that from him.

Izaya picked up from where I left off.

"I felt like I wasn't really there. Like there was a thick wall separating me from my body. And before that, when Shizu-chan and I were playing our game, I began to tire really quickly. My muscles burned and my breathing went irregular at times. It was almost like my senses were failing me. That never happened before . . ."

Back in Ikebukuro, Izaya would usually ask for something to give out information. He kept whatever he knew to himself, and only handed it out at a price. But now . . . I don't think I understand him anymore.

Eri is kind of like that underground doctor Shinra. Back in Ikebukuro, he would fix up my injuries. I remember seeing the flea at his apartment getting fixed up. Eri is like Shinra. So maybe that's why. Maybe Izaya talked to Shinra like that, without hesitation.

"Okay. What I would suggest for you is to not to run around too much. Let your body rest. Got it?" Eri asked.

Izaya nodded, so Eri turned to me.

"Please give me a few minutes. I'll check up on you in a bit. I just need to do something. It might take a while . . ."

"I'll be here," I assured.

Eri walked out of the room, and it was just us again. I stared at the floor a bit before looking towards Izaya. His eyes refused to meet mine, instead resorting to staring at his hands. They weaved together in and out, in and out. Lacing them and pulling them apart. Back and forth, back and forth.

I decided to ask him about what happened earlier.

"Hey, flea."

Izaya's fingers grew still and his head moved up, his eyes darting around instead of looking directly into mine.

"Were you crying when I left earlier?"

Silence.

Izaya only stared at me. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. I sat there, waiting for his answer. The silence continued and I became impatient.

"Answer me."

More silence. Izaya moved back a bit as I began leaning forward.

"JUST ANSWER ME DAMN IT!"

He flinched back in fear and stared at the blankets.

"Is it that hard to answer?!"

I tried to calm myself. He was shaking slightly, his eyes wide, and his arms wrapped tightly around his chest. It sent me a clear message that Izaya really was . . . scared of me. I needed to leave, so that he could calm down.

Despite my better judgment, I climbed onto the bed and crawled closer to Izaya. His eyes widened even more - if possible - and backed away from me. Izaya's back hit the headboard, so he started edging over to the other side of the bed.

As soon as I got close enough, I put my right arm against the headboard in front of Izaya. He froze, his eyes staring at my arm. He was breathing fast and his body trembled. It looked like he was desperate to get away from me.

I sat down, keeping my arm in place, and placed my left hand at the back of his neck, pulling him towards me. Izaya flinched again and struggled against my hold. I wrapped my other arm around his back and my fingers went through his hair, gently rubbing his back and head. Izaya continued to fight me, trying to get out of my grip.

"Would you PLEASE stop struggling?!"

Izaya froze, instead becoming limp, and began leaning against me.

I'm hugging him. What's wrong with me? Why am I doing this? What is this burning feeling in my stomach? Do I like it?!

Something was circling my back. I looked down to see Izaya's arms wrapping around my torso. He's hugging back! He turned and hugged me tighter, burying his head in the crook of my neck. I felt a wetness there and noticed that Izaya was shaking.

Is he crying on me?! Why would he do that?! And WHY am I LETTING him?!

But I continued holding him, rubbing different shapes onto his back as he cried. Suddenly, Izaya fought out of my grip and turned around, curling into himself so that his back was facing me.

"Go away!" Izaya yelled, forcing back sobs.

"PLEASE! GO AWAY!"

Stunned, I climbed off the bed and walked out the room.

(Izaya's POV)

After Shizuo left the room, I calmed myself. It was hard, all those thoughts and feelings going round and round my head. Sadness, emptiness, cold, vulnerable . . . mostly great sadness. I can't believe that I liked that hug. It was nice, but . . . it was Shizu-chan! My nemesis! He hugged me! And I liked it?!

I decided not to think about it much. Nothing would come out of over-thinking the situation. All I needed to do was stay away from Shizuo.

I never once thought of myself as human. More like some kind of god or something like that. I've always been able to have power over humans. Not having most of the feelings that people have. Like sadness, or vulnerability, or the feeling of liking someone. I never had those feelings.

But when I came here, to wherever this place was, I felt those feelings. I felt human. An equal to humanity. Feelings that I never had before . . . I ended up experiencing. It was strange, feeling human for the first time.

I need to be strong. To forget those feelings. To control my emotions and become as powerful as before. And to do that, I need to get away from Shizu-chan. He made me experience those feelings, so all I need to do is avoid him as much as possible.

My stomach grumbled. I climbed out of the bed and made my way to the kitchen. Looking through all of the cupboards and drawers, I pulled out a bowl and a spoon from each and placed them on the table. Then I grabbed a cereal box off a shelf and sat down, pouring myself some of its contents.

After eating, I placed the bowl and spoon in the sink and ran back to the messy bedroom. I laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. So many stars, planets, galaxies . . . I could see different planets circling suns and millions of white stars all bunched up in clusters. This gigantic image of the night sky made me think of something.

What if all of this wasn't real? What if everything that I'm doing is . . . just a dream?

Nah, it has to be real. My dreams wouldn't be so vivid and have random people in it, and Shizu-chan never comes up in them.

I looked out the window. The sky was a bright blue, the sun shone its light and warmth, and the tree leaves rustled in the wind. The trees outside the garden lost most of their leaves already. Leaves the colors of red, yellow, and brown flew up from the grass and into the wind. It looked so nice outside; I wanted to take a walk.

But if anyone were to see me . . .

Sighing, I turned to the side so that I was facing the window. I wanted to explore this new world. To see the humans and their reactions. Oh, what a wonderful day that would be.

(Shizuo's POV)

After I left the messy room, I went straight for the kitchen. I opened the glass door and stepped outside. The garden fences were about 1 foot shorter than how tall I was. If anyone looked over they would see me, so I took a seat on a bench.

I pulled out a cigarette box and a lighter from my pocket. Quickly lighting it, I breathed in the smoky air.

Ahhhhh.

My thoughts slipped from my mind as I continued breathing in the smoke. All I felt was the freedom that the nicotine gave me.

A tree stood a ways away from me. The trunk stood tall and proud. It's branches spread out like an open hand with the palm facing up. Some of the branches began close to the ground. Leaves fell from the tree, one after another. Their colors were yellow, red, and brown. Such pretty colors . . .

(Eri's POV)

(E for Eri, H for Hana)

E: Izaya needs to rest. Don't make him move around a lot. That's all I can say.

H: Thanks Eri.

H: I don't know how I'll be able to feed them.

H: Not with spending money for college and buying new furniture.

E: ?

H: Look in the guest bedroom.

E: Oh . . .

E: Who did that?

H: Shizuo.

E: Dang. He did all that?

E: Anyways,

E: I'll give you some of my money. You don't have to pay me back.

H: No way! I can't accept that! It's your money, use it for yourself.

E: I will not accept no for an answer. Almost all the money I earn goes into my bank account.

E: You have a friend who's willing to help you out for nothing in exchange. Take that chance Hana.

H: . . .

H: I'll think about it. Can you take that?

E: Fine.

H: Gtg. Boss is coming. Bye!

E: Bye.

I closed my phone, stuffed it in my pants pocket, and began looking for Shizuo. He was sitting in the backyard on a wooden bench, smoking.

"Hey! Shizuo!"

He looked over at me, his cigarette held between his teeth. I stepped out into the backyard and took a seat next to him. Shizuo held the drug in his hand as he blew smoke from his mouth.

"Did you really do all that in the guest bedroom?"

He sighed.

"I got pissed at someone, and when I get mad, I go on some sort of rampage. Throwing things around, things that a normal person can't throw."

Shizuo brought the drug back to his mouth and breathed in deeply. I leaned forward, trying to see if he was lying.

"You mean that you actually threw the table across the room?!"

"Yeah."

"Wow . . ."

I leaned back in my seat, surprise and amazement etched on my face. Is he really that strong? If he is, how much can he lift?

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the screen. It read: going to be late, tell Iza and Shizu I got the book for them

"Did Hana text you?" Shizuo questioned.

"Yeah, she did."

"What did she say?"

"It says that Hana got a book for you guys, whatever that means."

Shizuo abruptly stood up.

"I need to tell Izaya."

"Wait! What's so important about the book? Wait a second!"

I got up and tried catching him but he had already run off. I sighed and plunked myself down heavily.

(Shizuo's POV)

I rushed towards the messy bedroom, determined to leave as soon as I told him about the message. Whatever these feelings are, they should disappear if I stay away, right?

When I arrived at the room, I saw Izaya laying on the covers with his back facing me. I tried to stop my loud pants and walked up to him.

"Izaya."

No answer.

"Hey, flea."

Nothing.

"Damnit! Why every time I come to this room you're asleep?!"

I grasped his shoulder roughly and shook him, lifting him up as my anger grew. My patience was disapearing, I needed an answer NOW!

Suddenly, I stopped. I released his shoulder and watched his body fall back down onto the bed limply. Izaya's eyes were open, blinking slowly, but the pupils were dilated. His breathing was slow, as if he were in a deep sleep. Sweat collected around the sides of his forehead. Izaya looked really pale. Like paper. He was fazing out.

He really is sick. I need a docto- ERI! I NEED TO GET ERI!

Rushing out of the room, I ran through the house and almost crashed into Eri in the kitchen. I stumbled over my words trying to explain that Izaya needed help, but he wouldn't understand. So I ended up grabbing his arm tightly and dragging him all the way back to the room where Izaya lay.

As soon as I pulled Eri into the room I shoved him towards the bed and let my emotions run loose.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HIM?! FIND OUT WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM AND MAKE HIM BETTER!"

Eri turned around and put his hands on my shoulders, trying to push me into a chair. I towered over him, using my strength to resist his efforts.

"Shizuo I need you to calm down. I can't help if you're freaking-"

"JUST HELP HIM! Make him get better! You're the doctor, so FIX HIM! I'm not going anywhere until you fix him!"

"Okay, I'll help him. Just sit down and take deep breaths. I'll take care of him."

I collapsed onto the chair, my elbows on my legs, my head in my hands. Eri worked quietly, sometimes muttering words under his breath.

"Shizuo."

"Mm?"

"Was this what happened yesterday?"

"Somewhat. He wouldn't respond, but his eyes weren't dilated. Now do you know what's wrong with Izaya or not?"

Eri sighed and stopped doing his work. He turned around and faced me,

"I'm really sorry, but I don't know what is wrong with him. It looks as if he doesn't respond to anything at all."

Eri began talking to himself, saying things that I couldn't understand. I asked him if there was some way to help Izaya get better, or to get him to snap out of it.

"All I can think of is to wait it out. There's nothing much either of us can do about it. Maybe he should stay in bed and only move around if needed. I'm really sorry that I can't help anymore that this."

"It's okay, Eri. I'm sorry for freaking out on you. You did your best," I said.

I sat there, in the chair, even after Eri left the room. There was nothing else to do. Izaya slept, or blacked out or something. I stayed in the chair, and ended up falling asleep on it, waiting for something, anything to bring me home.


	11. Chapter 10

(Hana's POV)

After work, I drove over to the Foster City library to see if the holds that I placed earlier had come. When I looked for my initials, I found the books I was looking for. Quickly checking them out, I placed them on the passenger seat of my car and drove home.

It was dark when I got home, around 8:00. As soon as I opened the front door Eri went all over me explaining many thing at once. Blah blah blah. Just say one thing at a time!

"Hana! Are you even listening to me?!

"Nope!"

I walked into the kitchen and took a seat, pouring myself a cup of tea. Eri followed me, freaking out about something. Then he stopped talking. Finally!

He grabbed a sheet of paper and a pencil and quickly wrote something down. Eri passed the paper to me and I quickly read over it. My eyes widened as I read the short message.

"Why didn't you say this before?! This is supposed to be the first thing you tell me when I get home!" I yelled at him.

"Where is he?! I need to see if he's okay!"

I jumped out of my chair and ran to the master bedroom, Eri running after me. Not noticing that I woke Shizuo when I barged in, I ran to the bed. Izaya laid on his back, eyes shut, skin as pale as paper. Beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his head. He looked plain awful.

"He looks terrible . . ." I whispered.

"Worse than last time," a voice spoke.

Startled, I whipped around coming face to face with Shizuo. I looked up at him as he towered over me, him being almost a foot taller than me. Shizuo looked tired, almost depressed.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly.

He shrugged his shoulders and looked over my shoulder, at Izaya. I turned around and placed my hands on the bed.

"What are we going to do? If he keeps getting worse . . ."

"Maybe it's the atmosphere," Eri spoke up.

I looked up. My best friend stood on the other side of the bed, looking right at me. The sun shone through the window, making him look more like a shadow than a person.

"I mean . . . If he didn't act this way at his own place, then it's got to be the atmosphere!"

I gave him a quizzical look.

"The air here is different from the air over there. Chemicals in the air are either missing or are replaced with other chemicals in the other atmosphere. Izaya, here, is being affected by the air. Or it could be a sickness from a hit to the head . . ."

I spaced out, thinking of the millions of different things that could happen to Izaya. There was one thing that I understood, though. If Izaya stayed here, he'll get weaker and sicker until the point in which he might end up dying. There's no other way, he needs to go back to his own place.

Then I began thinking about how Shizuo and Izaya got here in the first place. Based on the story, when the young man fell through the portal, he traveled through space to the other side. The place where he landed was the same place where he started, it just looked different.

"I wonder where you two came from . . ." I thought aloud.

"Ikebukuro. I was chasing Izaya around Ikebukuro when we fell through the portal," Shizuo explained.

"Maybe you guys traveled through dimensions! When you fall through the portal, you end up at a different version of your world! You're traveling through space, time doesn't change. I bet if I showed you some pictures of your hometown you'd recognize it immediately," I exclaimed.

I walked out of the master bedroom and into my room. Grabbing my laptop, I quickly walked back. I sat down on the edge of the bed and logged onto my user name. Then I quickly got on the internet, to be more specific, Google.

"Hey Shizuo."

"What?"

I looked up at him, seated in the chair. My fingers were poised over the keyboard, ready to type.

"How do you spell Ikebukuro?"

Shizuo spelled out the name as I typed it unit the Google search bar. Then I pressed enter and looked through the many pictures of the area. When I found a good photo, I turned the laptop around and showed Shizuo the picture.

"Was this what Ikebukuro looked like before you fell through the portal?"

"Yeah. Ikebukuro looks just like that!" Shizuo spoke with recognition.

"Only it looks a little strange, maybe more defined or something like that."

"Well I bet that this is what happens when you travel through space. Nothing really changes, except what everything looks like," I guessed, closing my laptop,.

"Anyway, if you need to go anywhere Eri, you should go. Unless you want to stay and watch me do homework, you may leave anytime. I think I can manage taking care of Izaya and Shizuo."

"Yeah, I need to go. There won't be anything to do here. Besides, I have to take care of some things," Eri explained.

"Like what?"

"You can guess. I'm a doctor, and I have people I need to help. I'll be leaving now."

I walked Eri to the front door.

"Bye Eri. See you soon."

"Later."

And then there were three.

I walked back to the bedroom, only to find that Shizuo had fallen asleep in the chair. Urg. Everyone's either leaving or going to sleep. And I'm left alone, wide awake with nothing to do. I hate life . . .

Picking up my laptop, I walked to my room and placed the computer on my desk. I plugged in the charger and opened up the laptop. Going to the internet, I quickly typed in my favorite site in the URL, .com. I logged into my account and began looking for books to read that others wrote about.

One of my hobbies was reading. I would read through the whole day if I could. When I was little, I read through the entire night a couple times, going through at least four books in one night.

When I found something that interested me, I clicked on the story and began to read, letting my imagination run wild.

(Izaya's POV)

Loud snoring. The noise came from my right. It filled my ears, nothing else could be heard. I opened my eyes. Darkness. I could barely see the starry ceiling above me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shizuo asleep on a chair. His head leaning back against the wall, mouth open, drool falling out of his mouth.

I slowly sat up. My head began to pound. I couldn't remember what happened yesterday. Only hazy images came to mind.

The sounds of laughter flowed into the room. I turned my head towards the sound. Someone snickered loudly. After a pause, the person let out a loud groan. I began to wonder who this person was.

Standing up proved to be a bit difficult. My knees felt weak, as if they might not be able to hold my weight. The pain in my head got worse, pounding and throbbing. I wobbled as I walked around the bed and to the door.

Opening the door, I spotted a faint light surrounding a door across the hall. The door stood ajar, a tiny crack letting light escape the room. Hana's room. I slowly tip toed down the hall, a hand brushing the wall to help me keep balance. When I reached Hana's door, I hesitated. I placed my left hand against the door and pushed it slightly.

The door's hinges squeaked quietly. I froze. More laughter came from the person. Pushing the door a little more, I had enough space to stick my head into the room. The top of Hana's head peaked out over the back of the swivel chair. Light outlined the hair on her head. I'm guessing that the light came from the computer sitting in front of her.

Hana let out another groan.

"Oh my god! This guy's just insane! I mean . . . really. Why would he do that!?"

The girl continued rambling about a character in the story. Suddenly she stood up. Hana walked around the room, throwing her hands in the air and talking loudly at the same time. I just stared, my knees shaking from the effort of standing.

Hana sat down on the chair and continued reading. I, however, pulled my head out of the room and closed the door

I've never seen Hana act like this before! Maybe she voices her frustration when she reads or sees something bad.

Head pounding, I silently walked to the kitchen. I grabbed a cup from a cabinet and filled it with water from the sink. After turning off the running water, I placed a hand on the counter to lean on and brought the cup to my lips. Downing it quickly helped stop the throbbing feeling in my head.

My legs suddenly gave way. The cup slipped from my hand as I tried to catch myself. It hit the floor and shattered, sending tiny pieces of glass flying across the room, but I never heard it break. I dropped to the floor like a stone, not feeling the broken glass digging into my skin.

My head banged against the hardwood flooring, though I didn't hear the banging noise it caused. Black and white dots clouded my vision, and my head went all fuzzy. I couldn't tell what was happening! My mind went on overdrive, freaking out and trying to get my limbs to move at the same time, but that just made me really confused.

Maybe I should just close my eyes for a minute. I might be having a bad dream and wake up soon and I'll be in Shinjuku where I belong. I was never here. This never happened. I'll just close my eyes and wake up.

(Hana's POV)

The story I was reading has been in my library list for years. I believe this book is a translation of a real book in a different language. The story is called Durarara! Light Novel Book 1 (English Translation). Maybe this book was originally written in another language, but it was pretty good!

When I read crazy action stories, I tend to be very verbal. I shout out my thought and swing my arms about if I'm angry at a character. If something good happens in a book, I tremble in excitement and say "yes yes yes" under my breath over and over.

Right now, a male character was talking to two other girls in a private room. They talked about death, and the afterlife. The male's name was Izaya, but I didn't make any connections between the character and the man in my house.

Suddenly, the Izaya in the book did something weird. He surprised the two women he was talking to. Pulling out two suitcases from under a table, throwing out to the women the fact that he had drugged them, and other surprises which the man had sprung up on them. I really didn't expect this strange Izaya character to be so wicked and creepy!

As I opened my mouth to verbally and physically express my thoughts about this person in the story, when I heard a loud shattering noise coming from somewhere in the house. My body froze for a moment, trying to tell if what my ears picked up was a real sound. Then a loud thud echoed around the place.

I jumped out of my swivel chair when I heard the thudding sound. Quietly stepping out of my room, I listened for any loud noise. A scrapping noise came from the kitchen. I made my way to the place where the sounds were coming from, trying not to get over excited or scared.

When I reached the doorway to the kitchen, I peered around the corner to survey the scene. At first, I couldn't see anything because it was so dark, but then I saw light flickering off of tiny pieces of glass on the floor. I looked further in the room and saw a body laying on the ground. Faint light reflected off of dark hair and pale skin. The body didn't move.

Edging into the room, I tip toed silently towards the person on the ground, tying to avoid the glass. As I stepped closer to the person, I realized that it was a man. Not just any man . . . Izaya!

My breath got stuck in my throat. I knelt down next to Izaya and shook him. When he didn't respond, I tried getting him into a sitting position. After accomplishing that task, I moved him so that his back rested against a cupboard.

Izaya's eyes were half closed. The light from the moon cast an unrealistic blue glow over his hair. His skin looked white under its blue light.

I contemplated my next move, whether to wake Shizuo to help move Izaya or do it myself. My decision, do it myself.

Turning around so that my back faced the raven, I brought his arms over my shoulders. I stood up, pulling him up with me. Izaya's body sagged, his front pressing against my back. His head fell into the crook of my neck. The raven's body weight almost made me topple over, but I caught myself in time.

I slowly made my way around the glass on the floor of the kitchen. After fixing Izaya's position on my back, I lugged him to my room.

As soon as I got to my room, I placed Izaya on my bed. Tugging the blanket from under him, I covered the man. He looked like he was sleeping. I sighed and was about to walk out of the room when I remembered my computer. I shut it down and turned off the lights quickly then walked out of the room carrying a blanket and a pillow.

When I came to the living room, I set up a bed on the couch. I laid down and covered myself with the blanket, trying to get comfortable in the small space.

After getting settled down for the night, I thought over the day's events. How I found out about what happened when I was at work, what might be the cause of it, and just now. Finding him like that in the kitchen. It freaked me out! I guess I'll just talk to him about it in the morning, no use staying up now, I thought.

I closed my eyes and went to sleep, trying not to worry about the unknown future ahead of me.


	12. Chapter 11

(Day 3)

(Shizuo's POV)

An ache. In my back. And my legs. I don't think I can even feel my legs. My joints feel sore, too. Light shined in my eyes from somewhere in front of me.

It's so bright . . .

I brought a hand up to my face, blocking the bright light. Cracking my eyes open, I looked around the room I was in. Piles of books and artwork still littered the room. The bed was unmade and the clock read 10:22 AM. Then I noticed that the bed was empty.

Wait a second. Wasn't someone sleeping there? . . . Who slept there . . .

My thoughts were jumbled into one giant mess; I couldn't think straight. I stood up, wobbling a bit before regaining my balance. Suddenly a picture of Izaya appeared in my head.

The flea? I wonder where that bastard is . . .

I walked out of the room and to the living room. Instead of finding Izaya, I saw Hana sleeping on the couch. Why's she sleeping here? What about her room?

I looked in the kitchen next. Izaya wasn't there either. A quick peek in the ruined guest bedroom told me that he wasn't in there either.

One other room that I haven't checked yet was Hana's room. The door was closed shut. Quietly opening the door, I took a look inside.

Raven locks peeked out from under the covers on the bed. Izaya laid on his side - that much I could see from the doorway. Stepping inside the room, I closed the door behind me. Not all the way, just left it open a crack to avoid making noise.

I crept closer to the bed, leaning over the side to get a better look at Izaya's face since his back faced me. He laid in the bed curled up in a ball, only his eyes and the top of his head poking out from under the blankets. Izaya looked peaceful, maybe a bit cute too - What am I thinking! He isn't cute! He's an annoying flea! A bastard! Not in any way cute. There's just no way he can be cute.

Leaning back on my heals, I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts. A sudden movement on the bed brought me back to attention. Izaya rolling over, bringing the blankets with him. He opened one eye and looked at me.

"Does Shizu-chan think I'm cute?"

I gaped at him. Oh my god . . . Holy crap! Did he just read my mind?!

"No. You were talking out loud, Shizu-chan, and I'd prefer it if you would shut up and let me sleep. I feel exhausted and I don't want to play with you right now."

"Well I don't care what you prefer. And stop calling me adorable!"

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked to the side, grimacing. Anger flowed throught my veins and I struggled to hold back the urge to strangle the man. This guy just loved to piss me off.

Izaya sighed and closed his eyes. He shivered and curled up into the blanket, a slight frown on his face.

"It's cold," he whispered, then buried his face in the comforter.

I looked back at him with a scowl, but it softened when I saw him shiver. He also murmured something, but I didn't hear what he said. Izaya buried his head into the blanket, so only the top of his head could be seen. He looked so vulnerable, pathetic and small that I started feeling sorry for him.

Placing a hand on his forehead, I checked his temperature. It felt hot. Izaya must have a fever then.

The raven tensed under my hand, but didn't move away. In fact, he leaned closer to the cool hand.

"You have a fever," I stated, letting Izaya cuddle into my palm. My fingers brushed over his forehead and hair, coaxing Izaya to relax.

"It appears to be true, Shizu-chan. I'm quite cold," Izaya agreed.

"Don't call me that," I growled, but didn't move my hand from its spot.

izaya smirked, but didn't say anything, probably choosing to keep the peace. We stayed like that for some time, Izaya cuddling my hand and me standing next to the bed watching him. Hana suddenly appeared next to me scaring the hell out of me, making me jump in surprise. My hand jerked out from under Izaya's head and Izaya opened his eyes.

"Izaya, I don't think you will be going anywhere anytime soon. How about you go to sleep and get a good rest, ok?" Hana suggested.

In response, the raven's eyes slid shut. Hana grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the room. After closing the door, she turned to me with a frown.

"I don't think Izaya should participate in looking for the portal. He's really sick and he would just slow us down if he comes with us. Izaya needs rest, and he won't get any if he helps out."

". . . I guess I have to agree with that, but someone would need to watch him while we're gone," I added.

"We'll think of something."

Hana suddenly slapped her forehead and groaned.

"Oh my god, I forgot to tell you guys that I brought the books home. Maybe the ending will give us a hint!" Hana exclaimed.

She rushed to her bag that she left at the front door and rummaged through it. Once Hana found the books, she ran to the living room table. I took a seat beside her when she sat down and opened a book. It was written in Japanese, thankfully, so Hana didn't need to read it to me.

The story told that the old man found a portal on a beach when he was stumbled around and traveled back to his homeland. The scene when the man found the portal was very descriptive. Lots of thunder and lightning shooting out from the portal. He just hopped right into the hole and landed in front of his home. When he came in, the old man's family was there, but none of them grew old. It was as if time didn't pass in his real dimension. This might be the same case with us.

After Hana finished reading the book, she closed it with a sigh.

"It's decided. A portal may be near a body of water. My house is within biking distance to the bay. It's possible that it might be there. Izaya will stay at my house; you and I will head out at night so as not to appear suspicious to him. I can ask Eri to sleep over at our house the night we search for the portal to watch over Izaya, sounds good?"

I nodded.

"When do you want to go search? Tonight or another day?"

I have her a determined look.

"Tonight. The quicker we find a way back, the sooner Izaya and I will be back where we belong."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I've been feeling jittery all day. Hana was somehow able to keep relaxed through the whole time, even around Izaya! And he's a smartass! He could tell I was nervous, questioned about it, and he could tell I was lying, but surprisingly he didn't push it. Izaya would frown but he didn't pry.

Hana called Eri and he's on his way here now. She told him of our plan and he argued to help. The sky was getting dark and it was almost pitch black, excluding all the lights along the streets. We all ate dinner already and Izaya was asleep in Hana's room. No more faze outs occurred today, which was a good thing. Everything was prepared for Hana and I for our trip tonight. All that's left was for Eri to get his ass over here so we could leave.

"What are you planning to do once we find the portal?" Hana asked.

"I don't know yet. I'll decide when we find it."

Hana nodded, right when the doorbell rang. She opened the door for Eri, who walked in and nodded at us. Hana and I walked out of the house and grabbed two bikes from inside. After saying goodbye to Eri, we headed towards the levy path next to the bay.

"There's going to be a path that we are going to turn onto from the levy, ok?" Hana inquired.

"Sure."

"If you don't mind, I would like to check on some other things nearby if that's ok."

"If it's on the levy, maybe the portal could be the?" I asked.

"Maybe."

Once we reached the levy, Hana explained that the path would come up somewhere up ahead. I nodded and we continued biking ahead. After a while, we turned off onto a dirt path and rode on that for a few minutes. When we rode far enough, both of us stopped and put our bikes next to a bush.

"Here is the levy beach. On the left are rocks where crabs and some cats live. Near here are what I like to call 'The Camps'. Should we look on the beach first? We could check on 'The Camps' on the way back, then go through the rocks before going home," Hana suggested.

"Let's do that."

Both of us walked along the beach, looking for the portal. When we didn't see it, we looked at the camps. They were more like ditches in the ground with wood for a campfire in the center and cigarette butts littered on the ground. Hana explained that Eri's high school friend dug up those ditches and that every time she comes here there is a change, even though it may be small.

Sadly the portal wasn't there either, so Hana and I looked through the rocks. By the time we finished, it was two in the morning. It was nine when we left. The both of us were searching for five hours!

Hana explained to me that she stayed up entire nights when she was younger and was able to function well the next day. She was lucky, I was exhausted when we finally arrived at Hana's home. I went to the master bedroom to sleep while Hana went to sleep on the couch in the living room. My head hit the pillow and I saw no more.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Morning came and I woke up to sunlight streaming in through the windows and birds chirping their songs. I got up and walked to the kitchen, grabbing a cup and getting myself some water.

Today was Sunday, which was what the clock told me. Hanna and Izaya were sleeping in the living room and Hana's bedroom respectively, from what I remember, so the house was silent. With nothing interesting to do, I decided to check up on Izaya to make sure he was ok.

I felt like I was forgetting something, but I wasn't sure what so I ignored the feeling. Sneaking into Hana's room, I saw Izaya lying in the bed peacefully, serenely, like nothing in the world could torment him. I pulled a chair over to the side of the bed as quietly as possible and sat down facing the raven.

Staring at him proved to be terribly boring, so I grabbed the first Japanese book I saw and started to read. The two inch thick book had long chapters, and since I read slowly it took a long time to finish a single chapter. After a while, I looked up to check at the man lying on the bed. His eyes were open, crimson mixed with dark brown staring at my honey brown orbs.

Out of nowhere, Izaya gave me his wicked smirk of a smile. The next thing I knew I was on the floor, flat on my back with a body on top of me and a pillow stuffed in my face. Keeping mind of the strength I possessed, I yanked the pillow of me and glared at the bastard who knocked me down.

"Shizu-chan~!"

I growled and flipped us over, Izaya on the ground with me hovering over him, my hands grabbing his wrists and bringing them together over his head to hold with one hand, my legs pinning his under my own. Our eyes met and I continued to glare at him.

We stayed in that position for a short while. I gave a warning growl and squeezed his wrists before climbing off of Izaya. Standing up, I thrust a hand in Izaya's direction, turning my head away with a small grimace. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Izaya looking at my hand warily before taking hold of it. I lifted him up.

"Did you find anything last night?"

I looked at him, surprised.

"How do you know about that? Weren't you asleep?"

He smirked a little. "I know how to fake it. I heard you leave the house too. So? Did you find the portal yet?"

I sighed and sat down at the foot of the bed, my head hanging low, thinking about my failure the night before.

"No. We didn't find anything."

The smirk slipped off Izaya's face.

"Oh."

We stayed like that for a minute, me sitting on the bed and Izaya standing there awkwardly. The raven shifted in place before the smirk appeared again; he jumped onto the bed next to me and placed his hands on my shoulders, turning me around to look at him.

"Then I guess you will have to try harder next time, won't you," he teased.

". . ."

I stayed silent, I had nothing to say, my self hatred growing with every thought of my failure swirling around in my head. The grip on my shoulders tightened, pulling me out of my thoughts. Izaya's voice flowed into my ears, reassuring me somewhat.

"Shizu-chan, nobody expected you to find a mysterious thing on your first try. Are you going to give up or will you continue to search for the portal?"

I lifted my head up and stared ahead of me, thinking of an answer.

"I can't give up, it is not an option right now. All I can do now is continue to look through the possible areas the portal could be and hope to find it. . . . Hey Izaya, do you think Hana and I'll find anything?"

The hands fell from my shoulders and I turned to look at him. The pupils of Izaya's eyes were dilated so much that all you could see was the black center of the eye. He was staring off into space, and when I touched his hand, it felt clammy and sweaty. Izaya didn't respond when I grabbed his shoulders and shook him a little. I couldn't snap him out of it! Another faze out?

I began to panic and shook him harder, then remembered Eri's words on the situation. A quiet sob escaped me when I realized that I couldn't do anything except wait it out. This couldn't be happening! I pulled Izaya to my chest and wrapped my arms around him, some tears slipping out of my eyes.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hana found me hugging Izaya and rocking back and forth slightly in her room about an hour later. She took one look at the raven before a look of understanding appeared on her face. She pushed us down onto the bed, telling me to go to sleep and not to worry about anything, to get as much rest as possible. Then Hana left the room closed the door, and left the house.


End file.
